A Night of Black and Orange
by PrinslooPrentiss
Summary: A case-fic prompted by Halloween! When the team finds themselves chasing a sadistic unsub across New York on Halloween, Hotch may finally be forced to confront his feelings for Emily. H/P of course! *please read and review
1. Chapter 1

***Summary:** When the team finds themselves chasing a sadistic unsub across New York on Halloween, Hotch may finally be forced to confront his feelings for Emily. H/P *please read and review

***Disclaimer: **

_The follow material is used for entertainment purposes only; EmilyHeinle and associations do not own any of the recognized characters or elements. All rights are reserved to the original creator(s) and network(s)._

**A/N:** Hi all! For everyone that read and reviewed my last story "As The Leaves Turn" a big THANK YOU and I love you to everyone! For those who haven't- go check it out! So here's my new one and of course, it will be H/P. Give it try and drop me a line! Cheers! –EH

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"Alright, we're ready to give the profile" Aaron Hotchner said from the conference room that his team was working in. Straightening his suit, he led the rest of the team members to the center of the precinct where several local law enforcers were already anxiously waiting for them.

"We're looking for a handsome, intelligent Caucasian male in this early to mid thirties. Most likely the man we're looking for was raised in a wealthier part of the city." Reid began while the others gathered in a semi-circle facing the couple dozen faces that were staring back at them.

"Great so that's basically half of Manhattan. I could've told you that," An arrogant, young detective snorted from the middle of the room, causing others around him to snicker.

David Rossi turned to glare at the young detective, "Well then how come he's raped and killed six different women already" he propositioned, silencing the room once again.

Derek Morgan uncrossed his arms and got off the desk he was leaning on as he began to speak. "He's targeting attractive, brunette women at large, high profile events to gain attention of the media when they find the body assaulted, tortured and abandoned the next morning after he's killed them."

JJ continued, "All the previous crime scenes suggest that he watches the victim for the majority of the night before attacking her as the party draws to a close- sometimes while she's waiting for her date to bring the car around or most recently on her way to the bathroom"

Hotch nodded before taking over, "The fact that he goes after women that are already accompanied, suggests that he is meticulous, patient but ultimately insecure about his abilities as a man and feels the need to rape and kill to feed his alpha-male ego".

"Which makes us believe that the unsub experienced traumatic rejection in a very public place, and has caused him to take out his aggression on random, attractive women that he finds at these events" Emily added.

As she spoke, Hotch noticed that all the male detectives in the room were staring at her and he was even sure that the young one in the corner was drooling a bit. Hotch turned back to look at Emily, he had always thought that she was attractive, but between having been married and being her unit chief, he knew it could never go beyond that. Still, as he looked at the green silk top she was wearing and the way her black pants hugged her defined legs he couldn't help but entertain his thoughts on what it would be like to be with her. It wasn't just her appearance that he was attracted to; she was undeniably intelligent and her compassion for other made his heart melt. As he continued to lament over his attraction for Emily he realized that without a doubt, every other man in the room was thinking the exact same thing. This realization suddenly made his blood begin to boil and caused him to snap out of it.

"We need to be on the look out for single, well-dressed men that seems isolated or out of place in these a-list events" he finally said.

"So how do we catch him then Agents?" the lead detective piped up from the side of the room.

Reid walked over the large whiteboard they had been using and pointed to a large line in the middle, "Based on his timeline we believe he's established a pattern of killing every six nights, which would mean that he would be on the search for his next victim tonight."

Hotch turned back to the detective and asked "Are the any major events that have been highly advertised and well publicized?"

Detective Larkin scoffed as if Hotch had just asked him what color the sky was. "Well sure, today's the 31st -the annual Black and Orange Ball happens every year on Halloween. All of the city's most important people attend, its hands down going to be the event of the season"

From the back of the room another voice could be made out, "Well then that's perfect, let's go arrest the SOB tonight". This evoked cheers and murmurs of agreement from those around him before Morgan interrupted.

"It's not that simple" Derek said, shaking his head at the obviously inexperienced officer, "If we show up at the event with police cars and the FBI trucks, the unsub may not even show up, not to mention we would be feeding into his obsession with media coverage".

Detective Larkin let out a frustrated sigh, "So what do we do then? We have to get this guy… Can't you people just go in there without your fancy FBI suits to apprehend the guy?"

"What you're talking about is an undercover opp and actually… it might not be such a bad idea" Morgan stated, shifting his attention to Hotch as he spoke.

Hotch opened his mouth to protest, he hated doing undercover operations and made it his policy to only use it as a last resort. However JJ beat him to the punch, "Yeah Hotch, actually I think it's our best bet to catch the unsub".

Before Hotch could reply, he was again cut off, this time by Detective Larkin. "But we don't have any female officers in this precinct, at least not any that this son of a bitch would be attracted to".

"Maybe Emily should do it" Reid suggested, "She fits the unsub's type almost perfectly" he continued as he shrugged his shoulders.

At this suggestion, Hotch snapped to attention; he knew Emily had gone undercover before but after what happened with Cyrus, he vowed to himself that he would never willingly put her in a dangerous situation again. After that incident, something made him realize how much Emily truly meant to him and part of him wanted to protect her from all harm. He wanted to immediately say no and tell the team that they would have to catch the unsub another way but he struggled to find words to professionally justify his emotions. As the team leader he wasn't allowed to put his emotions before the needs of the people, and for another thing, he wasn't even sure what those emotions were and why they were suddenly taking over his ability to make a sound decision. Discussion continued around him and Hotch looked at the ground and tried to control the millions of thoughts running through his head as he listened to Derek.

"Listen Emily, it's your call. But I _do_ think it's a good shot" Morgan said gently.

Emily sighed, "I agree. I'll do it if it's our best chance at catching this guy. Now the only question is, who's going to be my date for the night?" she said with a smile, doing her best to make light of the situation.

Suddenly the room erupted with eager volunteers. Detectives and officers were falling over themselves trying to be lucky man that would get to spend time next to Emily for the night. The room filled with dozens of keen shouts,

"I will"

"I'll do it"

"No way! If anyone should get to do it, it should be me!"  
>"YOU?! No I'm the perfect guy for this"<p>

"I fit the description!"

"Don't listen to these guys! I'll get the job done and then some!"

Emily had to resist the urge to roll her eyes, she didn't mind going undercover to catch this bastard that was raping and killing women but she didn't want to have to spend the evening with a total misogynistic jerk if she could avoid it.

Morgan took a protective step beside Emily, and tried to think of the best way possible to tell these idiots that they would never have a shot with Emily, let alone a shot with her in a professional, undercover environment without offending the local law enforcement. Clearing his throat he said, "Ahem, that's quite alright officers. Actually FBI protocol requires us to send someone in who already has behavioral analysis training to do undercover operations". This, of course wasn't an actual rule, but he figured it was close enough as a policy that the officers wouldn't take too much offence.

Standing to the side, Rossi nudged Hotch who was still frozen in his place, "Aaron? Hello? It's your call, everyone here is looking for a plan. What's going on?" he whispered to his friend.

Hotch shook his head, silently telling Rossi that it was nothing. Standing up straight he was going to agree with Morgan when he heard an officer call out from the other side of the room.

"Bullshit! I may not be FBI, but I still bet I can give a… satisfying performance" an officer said as he winked at Emily.

This made Hotch's blood boil and he slammed his fists down on the desk, "ENOUGH! It would do you all well to remind yourselves that there is a serial rapist out there who is assaulting and murdering women. The FBI is not in the business of auctioning our agents off for _dates_. _FBI Agent_ Prentiss is not some kind of object up for sale, to and this operation is NOT up for further discussion. If you want our help in catching this monster, then you will treat this case AND our agents with the level of respect they deserve" he exclaimed, sending a wave of silence to fall over the room.

Emily, like everyone else stood in shock of what had just happened. Hotch rarely raised his voice and it surprised her that he had done so because of how the officers were treating _her_. Looking around the room, she smiled internally at the fact that Hotch had made just about every man in the room tremble like a child.

JJ was the only one brave enough to speak, "Uh, Hotch… I don't mean to interrupt but if we are staying for the case, we better get going on this undercover op, the Ball starts at 8, and it's already almost 4. We need to prep Emily and er, whoever else is going in with her" she said.

Detective Larkin was the next to speak, "Yes Agent Hotchner, I want to apologize on behalf of this precinct. We would very much appreciate it if you all would stay" he said sincerely.

"I'll go in with Prentiss" Morgan volunteered. Then turning to Emily he added, "It'll just be like when we go out at home" he said with a smile, trying to make her feel as comfortable as possible.

For some reason, this made Hotch begin to see red; he had known that Emily and Derek were good friends but he hadn't thought they were close enough to be going out with each other… just the two of them. The thought of a muscular Derek Morgan spending time with Emily caused his nostrils to flare.

"No, I'm going" he said simply, causing the local officers to glare at him with jealousy and the rest of the team to stare at him with shock in their eyes.

**A/N:** SO? TBC? Please leave me a review! I would very much appreciate it!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thanks for the encouragement! I'll always try to reply to your reviews to let you know that I very much appreciate it! As always, please drop me a line and let me know what you think! –EH

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Morgan gave Hotch a curious look, knowing fully how his supervisor felt about undercover operations "Hotch, I can do it you know, I'm more than capable. In fact-" but Hotch raised his hand, cutting him off.

"I know Morgan, I never doubt your capabilities. But I feel strongly about this one and I think that your skills would be better suited elsewhere on this one" he said firmly, leaving no room for argument.

Morgan stared at his unit chief for a second, wondering why he was being so adamant about this. It wasn't that he _wanted _to go undercover, he was curious as to why Hotch did. Nonetheless, he trusted his decisions and nodded his head in agreement. "Okay, so what do we need to do?"

"We need to set up security and surveillance outside the perimeter of the building. We want to make sure he gets into the event and then close off all surrounding streets in case he tries to run before we can apprehend him" Rossi began.

As officers began to disperse into action, JJ turned to the team, "And I think Emily needs to go find a dress for tonight too. It's a black-tie event and none of us exactly packed for a ball".

"What do you mean? It's Halloween, it's not a costume party?" Emily questioned.

"Of course not sweetheart- er, I mean Agent. It's one New York's most prestigious fall events, everyone dresses up… but not in costumes" one of the officers said, while trying to avoid the glare he was getting from Hotch.

"I think you and the rest of your crew should get started on surveillance" Morgan jumped in, before Hotch could say anything else.

The team watched as the rest of the local law enforcement scattered around the precinct, before heading back to the conference room to speak privately.

Rossi closed the door behind them and sighed before sinking into the nearby couch. "This is possibly one of the worst cases we've ever worked".

"I don't know if the case itself is just really bad or if it's the officers that are working it with us" Reid pointed out.

"Well either way, I just want to finish it and get the hell out of here. New York is not the place I want to be for Halloween" Morgan exclaimed before turning to face Emily who had taken a seat next to Rossi. "In all seriousness though Prentiss you and Hotch need to go get outfits for tonight".

"Don't you think our time would be better spent going over the profile?" Emily suggested, really not wanting to go shopping.

"If you show up wearing casual work attire, you guys will stick out like a sore thumb. Besides you guys both know this guy, you're the one that connected the bodies in the first place" JJ added.

Hotch looked over at Emily who was biting the down on her lower lip, he knew it was one of her tells that she was nervous. "Prentiss, are you okay with this?" he asked.

Emily looked up at her unit chief and instantly blushed; he was staring at her intensely with his deep brown eyes that drove her crazy. She silently cursed herself for being so affected by him; about a month ago she had finally admitted to JJ that she was hopelessly in love with him. It had started out as a simple work crush, she had always been attracted to the tall, dark and handsome type and Hotch was no exception. But slowly as they began to grow closer as a team, she started noticing a softer side to Hotch and began to wonder what it would be like to be on the receiving end of his affection. Before she knew it, she was head over heals in love with boss.

"Um, yeah of course. Whatever it takes" she said before looking away.

Hotch could tell that something was on her mind and wondering momentarily whether he had been selfish when insisting that he partner with her on this. Maybe she would've been more comfortable acting alongside Morgan. All he had wanted was an excuse to spend time with her where he didn't have to be the big, bad, boss, and she wasn't his subordinate where he could just be Aaron and she could just be Emily… but now he was having doubts about the whole thing.

"Okay then. Morgan, take Reid and go set up one of the trucks down the street from the Ritz-Carlton… that is where the Ball is happening correct?" Hotch questioned.

"That's what Larkin said. We'll get earpieces ready from the two of you. You won't be able to wear mics without it showing, but at least you can hear what's going on from our end" Rossi answered.

"And I'll get Penelope to tap into the hotel's video cameras so that we can have a visual on the scene as well" Morgan added.

"Great. JJ you need to alert the media and make sure that there are sufficient camera crews there, if the unsub detects that we're onto him, he won't show up" Hotch said.

The team nodded and left to complete their various tasks, leaving Emily and Hotch alone. Getting up from the couch, Emily gave Hotch a nervous smile, "Come on, let's go buy some new clothes on the Bureau's credit card" she said jokingly as she playfully grabbed Hotch's hand and lead him toward the doors.

Hotch nearly melted when he saw the corners of Emily's mouth turn up, her smile was always so warm and it made him wish he could be the one to put that smile on her face. And for the few seconds that Emily had his hands in hers, he was sure that he had never felt anything better. He followed Emily out of the precinct and towards one of the black FBI issued SUVs that were parked out front and tried not to think about what he had just gotten himself into.

**A/N: **I know this chapter was a little bit short so send me a review and I'll make the next one longer! Cheers -EH


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Thanks for the positive feedback! Your reviews really do make me write faster, I'm truly sorry that they are so sporadic. I know this began as a Halloween prompt, but now that Halloween is over I think I'll take this beyond the simply the holiday.J -EH

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The car ride passed quickly, without much conversation as Hotch drove them into the Midtown shopping district. Both he and Emily had tried to suggest on simply going to the local mall in an effort to save time and money, but had been quickly shut down by JJ and the rest of the team who had firmly insisted on the need for something more fancy.

Hotch pulled the SUV up to the side of the road and ran to the meter to get a ticket while Emily did a quick scan of the shops that were around.

Valentino, Tiffany and Co., Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent… her eyes widened as she read the rest of the names on the strip. These were some of the labels that Emily had only ever dreamed of wearing. Sure as a single woman, she had quite a bit of money put aside, but she also had no reason and certainly no _man_ to wear these kinds of clothes for.

"Prentiss?"

Hotch's voice caused Emily to whip around, tripping over the curb in the process.

With stellar reflexes, Hotch immediately stuck out his arms, catching Emily just in time before she toppled onto the sidewalk. Hotch arms wrapped instinctively around Emily's tiny waist, slipping in-between her open coat and her silky green top.

Hesitantly, she looked up to find Hotch's deep brown eyes staring back at her intensely and for a moment Emily forgot where she was. All she could focus on was the warmth of Aaron Hotchner's hands around her. Her own hands had fallen unexpectedly on his muscular chest to brace herself from the fall.

Even though Emily was more than stable on her feet again, Hotch couldn't let go and instead let his hands stay resting on her hips. He looked into Emily's chestnut eyes and again found himself imagining what it would be like to hold her like this all the time. Caught up in the ideal, Hotch whispered, "You smell really nice". When he realized what he had just said, his eyes widened and he finally released his grip on Emily's waist, taking a small step back as his gaze fell to the floor.

Emily blushed and was about to awkwardly thank her supervisor when she tried to move. "I… um oh think my shoe is stuck" she managed to mumble, looking down to examine the heel of boot that was trapped between the grates of city drain. Placing her hand on the SUV, she attempted to wriggle her foot free.

Hotch, who was still trying to recover from his embarrassment, couldn't help but be amused. Emily looked inevitably adorable in her struggle, while mumbling profanities in the process.

Emily heard Hotch's chuckles and looked up, "Oh sure keep laughing, I don't need help or anything" Emily said jokingly as she laughed at herself.

Just as Hotch was about to help Emily pull her boot free, both agents heard a loud snap! Emily shut her eyes in frustration, "Well that's just perfect. Not only did I trip in front of my boss, but now I have a broken shoe too" she said as she awkwardly limped toward Hotch.

"Well it's a good think we have the bureau's credit card" Hotch said, flashing a rare smile, revealing his dimples. "Let's go get you new shoes".

Emily melted at the sight of Hotch's smile and silently wished that she could be the reason for more of those smiles.

"I don't even recognize any of these stores" Hotch admitted "How about this one?" he continued, pointing at the store just a few feet away from them, "So you won't have to walk very far".

"For someone who doesn't shop very often, you just picked the most expensive store imaginable" Emily joked as she nodded in the direction of the daunting Chanel store in front of them.

"Look mommy! Those people are dressed up as FBI agents! Can I go get a costume like theirs? I want one with a toy gun and badge too!" A little boy exclaimed to his mother as they were passed Emily and Hotch.

"Honey you already have a costume for tonight. Besides Indian Jones is much cooler", the mother replied as she busily texted on her phone, not even looking up.

Emily tried to suppress a laugh and looked to Hotch who looked equally amused.

"I think we should get going, I don't think New York's most elusive black-tie event would be too impressed with our _Halloween costumes_" Hotch said jokingly, in another rare moment of his.

"Yeah alright, I think I can make it into the store" Emily said as she tried to take a few steps in spite of the very awkward imbalance. She only managed to move a couple of feet before she felt herself being lifted off of the ground.

Letting out a small gasp, she quickly realized that Hotch had scooped her off of her feet and was now carrying her toward the tall glass doors of Coco Chanel. "Hotch! What are you doing?! I can walk." she managed to say, even though her focus was currently on the strong arms that were holding her.

"Prentiss, if we wait for you to walk to the store, we will never catch the unsub, because we will miss the party" Hotch said simply, as he held Emily close to him. The truth was, they still had quite a bit of time before the gala but if he was being honestly with himself, he just wanted a reason to hold Emily in his arms.

As they reached the front of the store, Hotch reluctantly put Emily down as she offered him a grateful smile before opening the door.

They were immediately greeted by not one, but two beautiful women who were dressed head to toe in Coco Chanel, "Hi there! Welcome to Chanel!"

Emily smiled politely at the saleswomen but quickly noticed that neither of them had even acknowledged her; both women were not so subtly staring at Aaron Hotchner as they fluffed their hair and straightened their skirts, while batting their eyelashes like schoolgirls .

"I'm Anna. How can I help you today? I'm here to serve you… in any way you'd like" the brunette woman said with a seductive wink that made Emily's fists tighten involuntarily.

Emily usually wasn't the jealous type, but when it came to Aaron Hotchner, all bets were off. She knew that she was uncontrollably head over heals in love with the man and the fact that she knew she could never have him just made her want to cry. She was about to walk away when she felt Aaron's hand slip around her waist.

"Uh yes, we're attending the Black and Orange gala tonight and we need something to wear. Right honey?" Aaron said as he turned his head between a very angry saleswoman and a very stunned Emily. In all honesty, Aaron had surprised himself today as well. Under normal circumstances he would have never in a million years allowed himself to have as much physical contact with Emily as he had in the last hour. But tonight they were playing a character… his dream character and he was going to make the most of it.

As the saleswoman nodded and mumbled for them to follow her, Aaron bent down and whispered, "We should start getting into character now don't you think?" he said.

Emily's heart fell instantly, she had forgotten that all of this was just an act and she sadly nodded and slipped out of Hotch's grip.

Hotch noticed Emily's smile fade and he wondered if he had crossed the line, for a moment while he was carrying in her inside the store, he had briefly gotten the sense that maybe she just might feel the same way that he did… but as he followed Emily and Anna further into the boutique he was wondering if had just imagined the whole thing.

Shaking his head, he reminded himself that there was a sadistic unsub out there that needed his attention more than his own fantasies.

"Okay so let's start with you Mr.….?" Anna asked, as she turned to Hotch.

"Hotchner" he replied.

"Well Mr. Hotchner, let's get you something sexy to wear tonight, not that you already aren't screaming sex already" she said boldly with a wink as she disappeared into the men's department in search of a tux.

Hotch turned to join Emily, who was sitting comfortably on a couch.

"I think she likes you" Emily said with a smirk.

Hotch was about to reply sarcastically that he hadn't noticed when he saw the look on Emily's face. She was wearing an amused smile, but there was something sad about the way her eyes were looking back at him. '_Is she jealous_?' he asked himself. Suddenly all of his previous doubts and reservations faded and he decided in that moment that he was going to find out if Emily felt the same about him. If she didn't he could hide behind the façade of their Halloween undercover op, but on the rare chance that she reciprocated his love… well then it would mean that…

Emily interrupted his thoughts "Hotch?"

"What? Oh, um. She's not exactly type" he offered.

Emily nodded, somewhat relieved. "Oh I forgot, you prefer blondes" she teased.

Hotch smiled lightly, "That is my track record" he said referring to his ex-wife Haley, "But no man would be able to resist a beautiful brunette… especially if she's intelligent too" he ventured.

Emily was slightly taken aback by his comments. For one thing, she hadn't expected him to be so open about his personal life and for another he sounded as if he was swooning over someone in particular. Before she could think of a response, the saleswoman came back holding a few tuxes in both of her hands.

Anna immediately felt a wave of tension in the air and stopped in her tracks, "Um, I'm sorry am I interrupting something?" she asked hesitantly.

"Uh… no of course not. Why do you have so many? I'm only planning on wearing one tonight" Hotch said when he noticed that she was carrying at least 5 different tuxedos.

Anna walked over to think, "I know that silly" she said as she playfully hit Hotch's arm. "But we have to figure out which one looks best. And don't worry I can definitely help you with that" she sent Emily a glare before pointing to a fitting room that was only a few feet away.

Emily rolled her eyes, but was still distracted with Hotch's previous remark. She leaned back into the couch while Anna blabbered something about what colors might look best on her. She didn't even notice that Hotch had already come out of the dressing room, modelling the first tux.

Anna's jaw nearly hit the floor and Emily found herself struggling to find words. Hotch was always in a suit at work but seeing him in a Chanel tux was a whole other story.

Hotch straightened the tux coat, "So?..."

Emily opened her mouth to reply, but Anna beat her to the punch, "Wow Mr. Hotchner, I-".

Hotch politely put up his hand to stop her, "Actually I was hoping to get Emily's opinion" he said.

Emily shifted in her seat, as she stared at the man in front of her. Hotch was wearing a classic navy blue tuxedo that made him look like a male model. If she thought she was attracted to Aaron Hotchner before, she was sure she had never been so turned on in her life. "I um, think you look, uh, really handsome" she said as she blushed furiously, "How do you feel in it?" she asked, trying to take the attention away from her.

"I feel great. I've never worn anything like this before. Actually I don't think I even need to try anymore on" he said.

"Is it because you really like this one or because you hate trying things on?" Emily asked as she walked over toward Hotch.

Hotch's mouth curved upward into a half-smile, "Actually it's because my date just said I looked _really_ handsome in _this_ particular tux" he said teasingly.

Emily smiled and found herself standing very close to Hotch as she straightening his tie and jacket. When she was satisfied with it she looked up and met Hotch's deep gaze. This time it was her turn to get lost in the moment as she leaned up and whispered, "I think you look really handsome no matter what you wear" she said before turning and walking back to her seat.

"Alright then so Mr. Hotchner why don't you go change while we go look for a dress for Emily to wear" Anna said, leaving Hotch in awe of what just happened.

By the time the ladies returned, Hotch was already changed and sitting on the couch waiting for Emily to try on her dresses. Little did he know, Emily had other plans. Seeing them come back empty-handed, Hotch raised an eyebrow, "Where are the dresses? Did you not find one you like?" he asked.

"I found one. I just decided not to try it on. It's already being wrapped at the register" Emily said casually.

Hotch was slightly disappointed, he really wanted to see Emily all dressed up and didn't want to have to wait.

Emily looked down at her watch, "Come on, lets go pay. If we leave now we'll have just enough time to shower and change before we need to head over" she said as she grabbed her purse and lead Hotch to the cash register, eager to get back to the hotel.

She sighed with a smile, whether she was ready to admit it, everything had changed

**A/N**: PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU WANT ME TO WRITE MORE!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Wow! Thank you so much for your comments and support! Love you all! Please keep reviewing. Cheer! EH

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"If you guys don't leave now you'll miss be late and risk drawing attention to yourselves in the crowd" Rossi pointed out to Hotch who was sitting beside him on a couch in the hotel lobby.

Hotch looked down at this watch, "I told Emily to meet me in the lobby at 7:30...she has another few minutes. She's probably in the elevator down here now" he said as he watched the elevators intently.

Dave raised an eyebrow, "Oh, you told _Emily_.. Didn't know you two were on a first name basis" He said mockingly, knowing full well Hotch always used their last names as a sign of professionalism.

Hotch hasn't even realize he had used Emily's given name, it had just come out so easily. Even though _he_ knew how deep his feeling for his subordinate were, he definitely didn't want the rest of his team, let alone _David Rossi_ of all people to know about it. Shifting in his seat, he turned to face his friend and colleague and cleared his throat before explaining himself, "Dave I think if we go into the gala calling each other by our last names our cover will definitely be blown" he said lamely.

David Rossi scoffed, "Aaron you and I both know this is more than just an undercover op for you".

Hotch's eyes widened, "I.. er.. don't know-" he began

"Safe it Aaron. It's been a long time coming for both of you… you should tell her how you feel… but first catch this son of a bitch who ruined my Halloween" Rossi said seriously.

Hotch was about to say reply when both men heard the elevator ding and instantly looked over. As Emily stepped out of the elevator, Rossi realized they weren't the only men had turned their heads.

Aaron Hotchner had never found himself so lost for words as he felt this very instant. He watched as Emily quickly scanned the lobby looking for them and when her eyes finally landed on him, he was sure his heart stopped. Her long dark locks were loosely curled and draped over one of her pale ivory shoulders. Hotch swallowed as he finally got to look at the dress that Emily had purchased that afternoon. It was long, black, one-shouldered dress that seemed to fit Emily like a glove. The material hugged her in all the right places, showing off her curves and a high slit allowed her long, lean legs to peek through as she walked toward them.

"Hi, I hope you weren't waiting here long. I'm sorry I'm a little late, it took longer than I thought to get into this thing" Emily said, oblivious to the fact that both men were only half listening to her.

Rossi shook his head, "You're not late at all, in fact… Aaron and I were just talking about you" he said smugly, nudging Hotch.

"You were?" Emily blushed as she met Hotch's gaze for the first time.

Hotch quickly glared at Rossi before stammering a quick response, "Uh, yes we were just going over some details for tonight's undercover op" he lied.

Emily's face fell slightly, "Oh… right".

Rossi rolled his eyes "By the way Emily, you look absolutely stunning. You'll be turning all kinds of heads tonight" he said.

Emily smiled softly, "Thanks Dave. Wow Hotch, you really clean up well" she noted as she tried not to drool over how devastatingly handsome her unit chief looked in a tux.

Aaron felt his hands beginning to sweat; he wanted to tell her how gorgeous she looked, but he just couldn't find the words. Instead he offered her a warm smile and turned back to Rossi, "We should get going".

Dave scowled at Aaron but nodded his head. His job was to act as their chauffer to make sure they get into the gala safely and unnoticed; after all they weren't technically New York's most important personnel. "Right. Oh before we go, I almost forgot. Morgan wanted to make sure you put these on before we leave" he said handing them each tiny earpieces. "There was no way to get mics on your outfits without it being visible so you'll be able to hear us but we won't be able to hear you… we'll only have visual through the ballroom's security cameras that Garcia hacked into".

Hotch put his earpiece in, silently relieved for this bit of privacy they were given. Now, he could talk to Emily freely, without worrying that the rest of the team would hear. Unbeknownst to him, Emily was thinking the same thing.

As they walked out to the limo, Rossi mumbled under his breath, "You're both welcome".

The ride passed quickly and silently, neither Aaron nor Emily wanting to say anything for fear of embarrassing themselves. So when they arrived at the gala, Emily was surprised when Aaron immediately reached for her hand as they walked towards the large ballroom.

Hotch reveled in the warmth of Emily's small hand in his and involuntarily squeezed her hand lightly when he noticed all the men beginning to gawk at her. The ballroom was full of New York's finest guests all dressed to the nine's. Everywhere Emily looked there were tall, model-like women walking around in couture. She self-consciously looked at her own dress and tugged at it slightly.

Aaron had quickly scanned the ballroom to get a sense if the unsub was already there but had turned his attention back to Emily when he felt her let go of his hand to adjust her dress. Hotch took a breath and boldly let his arm fall to the small of her back and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Emily, you really do look absolutely beautiful tonight, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier".

Emily looked up at him in shock and felt herself melt into his pools of dark brown eyes. "Thank you um… do you think we should walk around and get a feel for the guests?" she suggested nervously.

Hotch shook his head without breaking their eye contact, "Not just yet. Let's go get a drink first" he said as he led her towards the bar.

Aaron leaned over the bar to order a couple of club sodas and when he turned back around, he noticed about a dozen men had their eyes glued on Emily. As he waited for their drinks he had to resist the urge to throw Emily over his shoulder and take her away from all of these pig-headed men.

Emily noticed the attention she was getting and silently began to profile them, quickly discovering that none of them fit the unsub's M.O. Caught up in her thoughts, she hadn't even noticed when a man came up beside her.

"Hey, is it hot in here or is it just you?" he said with a wink.

Emily rolled her eyes, this guy was tall, handsome, well dressed and blonde with an entitled personality that she wanted nothing to do with.

"I'm serious you know. That dress is gorgeous, _but_ it would look even better on my bedroom floor" he said suggestively wagging his eyebrows.

At that exact moment Aaron appeared next to Emily with their drinks and immediately turned to glare at the man. He placed the drinks on the counter and wrapped an arm tightly around Emily's tiny waist possessively and protectively. He could feel the blood rising in his veins and clenched his fists when suddenly both he and Emily heard Morgan's voice coming through their earpieces.

"Hotch, let it go man. If you knock this jerk out, you'll draw attention to yourself" Morgan said cautiously. "I'll personally show him a thing or two _after_ we get the unsub."

Despite Morgan's voice of reason Emily could feel his tension and wished this blonde misogynist would just leave. Reaching up, she cupped Aaron's face gently, "C'mon Aaron let's go dance" she said, taking his land and leading him onto the dance floor.

Finding their way to the middle of the dance floor, Aaron felt many eyes falling on them and he felt a surge of pride that he was the one who was here with Emily. Pulling her close he finally calmed down when he felt Emily's hands reach around his neck.

They swayed together silently before Emily leaned back, "Hotch you probably scared the guy… you know I can take care of myself right?" she asked quietly.

Hotch looked down at the beautiful woman he was dancing with and his brow furrowed, "I know you can. I have no doubts about your skills as an agent or otherwise" he said honestly

"Then why did you get so angry? I've never seen you like that before… well except for this morning with all the officers at the precinct" she remembered, "Do you have some sort of vendetta against the men of New York City?" she joked.

Hotch shook his head as he realized Emily was confusing his sheer jealousy for anger, he stared into her deep chestnut eyes and new that in this moment they were about to venture into new territory regardless if they were ready for it or not.

"Emily," Hotch began taking a deep breath, "It's not just New York men" he said with a half smile as he subconsciously began drawing small circles on her back, "It's any man that looks at you with desire in their eyes" he said blankly.

This time it was Emily's time to become confused, "I told you, I can take of myself Hotch" she said, not understanding what Hotch was trying to say.

"I already told you… it has nothing to do with your very capable abilities" he said with a smile, somewhat enjoying the adorable look of confusion that Emily was currently wearing.

"Then why?" she asked quietly.

Hotch absently tucked a loose strand of Emily's hair behind her ear and finally said, "Because Emily, I want to be the only person who gets to look at you like that".

**A/N**: Should I write more? I love you all. Please, please review!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** You guys are the best. Reading reviews makes my day J xxo

Emily pulled back, startled by what her supervisor had just said. She looked into his eyes that were darkened and sparkling back at her. She nervously bit down on her lower lip as she replayed his words again and again in her mind. Her heart was beating a million miles a minute but she wasn't quite sure what it meant. "Hotch…" she said in a breathy tone that she barely recognized. Just as she was about to continue, she felt a cold hand on her bare shoulder.

Emily spun around to find a tall, blonde man standing far too close to her for her liking. Her eyes briefly met Hotch's and instantly they both knew they knew it was the unsub.

Through his ear piece, Hotch could hear Morgan's cautious tone, "Guys, I'm pretty sure that's him. He's been starting at Emily since you guys walked into the room. Keep it up you're doing great". He said, oblivious to realness of both Hotch and Emily's attraction for each other.

Tightening his grip around Emily's waist, Hotch locked eyes with the man in front of them. "Can we help you?" he asked tentatively.

The man finally took his eyes off of Emily to meet Hotch's gaze. "I'm so sorry to interrupt. I was just coming over to tell you that you are clearly the luckiest man in the man in the room to be in the company of such a beautiful woman" he said with a smirk before turning his attention back to Emily.

"Forgive me, I've been rude. I'm Charlie… and you are?" he asked, grabbing hold of Emily's hand and bringing it to his mouth to plant a kiss on the back of her palm.

Emily had to resist the urge to shudder and Hotch could almost feel the chills travelling down her spine.

"Play it cool. Don't let him know we're on to him but remember he likes challenge. Get him flustered and then make up some excuse to leave Hotch, we need to catch his guy in the act before we can arrest him" Dave reminded them through the earpiece.

Hotch nodded briskly to let the team know he heard and then squeezed Emily's hand. "My wife." Hotch said in response to the unsub. He sent a cold glare toward Charlie and tugged Emily's possessively closer to him.

Charlie smirked, "That's funny I don't see any wedding rings. It's such a shame too, if you were _my_ wife, I'd want to put a ring on it right away to let every other man out there know that you and your sweet ass are mine" he said was a disgusting wink.

"Honey I think its time to go, why don't you go get the coats" Emily said, silently telling Hotch to leave and get ready to take the son-of-a-bitch down.

Hotch chewed on the inside of lip for a moment, suddenly not wanting to leave Emily alone with the creep, even if it was just for a minute. As if on cue, a stream of Morgan's stern voice came rushing into his right ear. "Hotch. Come on! What are you doing? We can't arrest this guy for just _talking_ to Emily. You need to go so he can make a move. And as soon as he does we'll be over there faster than you can imagine. You can't be Mr. and Mrs. 'super agents' right now. You have to be Mr. and Mrs. 'I'm so in love with my super hot significant other' or else this will all have been for nothing" he said reassuring his supervisor and his friend that they had the situation under control.

Hotch sent one last glare in Charlie's direction before turning to face Emily. Before he even knew what he was doing he was pulling Emily flush against his body with one hand while the one snaked itself behind her neck as he leaned down and covered her soft lips with his own. Just like that everybody else in the room seemed to disappear leaving only the two of them entangled in a passionate kiss.

Emily let out a soft moan against as Aaron parted her lips with his. The kiss was tender and gentle, but full of need and lust at the same time and it had Emily weak in the knees. The sound of another man's voice reluctantly brought them back to the real world.

"Whoa, don't you want to save something for tonight?" the unsub commented, oblivious to the fact that his presence was long overstayed.

Emily could barley ever hear him over the pounding of her heart. Her boss had just kissed her… no… the man she was irrevocably in love with had just kissed her and right now she was having trouble focusing on anything but how absolutely wonderful Aaron Hotchner tasted. The kiss was everything Emily had ever dreamed of it being and more but as the unsub continued to talk, she snapped out of it, realizing they had a job to do.

"… I mean I don't blame you. With a wife as hot as yours I'd being doing things to her you couldn't even imagine" he finished wickedly.

Hotch did his best to ignore Charlie as he turned casually to Emily as if nothing unusual had just happened, after all they were supposed to be married, kissing her was supposed to be natural for him… even though there was nothing natural about the overwhelming feelings he was feeling right now. "Alright sweetheart, I'll grab the coats, why don't I meet you at the car" he said before he reluctantly began to walk in the direction of the coat check.

Emily gulped as she watched Hotch walk out of sight. She knew he wasn't really going to the coat check and that he was probably already waiting outside with a gun in one hand and handcuffs in the other. But even so, her stomach turned when she realized Charlie was still staring at her. "Okay, well it was um.. _nice _to meet you. I better get going" Emily said before she began walking towards the door, very aware that Charlie was following closely behind her.

It didn't come as much as a surprise to her when she stepped outside into the frigid, October night when she immediately felt two hands grab at her from behind. Instantly, she turned around and kneed him right in the groin, just as Morgan and Hotch arrived with guns drawn.

Reid cuffed an obscenity yelling Charlie and handed him over to a local officer who shoved him into the back of a waiting police car.

JJ emerged with a large wool blanket that she quickly draped over her friend, "You were amazing Em and you _look_ amazing too. You're gonna have to let me borrow that dress one day" she said before turning to Hotch and Derek. "I'm going to go ahead and ride back to the precinct with Reid and the officer to make sure nothing goes astray" she offered before running off behind Reid to one of the SUV's.

Morgan turned back to face Hotch and Emily, "She's right. You guys did a great job tonight. Who knew you could act so well Hotch? You even had me convinced you had the hots for Emily" he said light heartedly, giving his boss a pat on the back.

Emily's face fell instantly _'Of course'_ she thought to herself, _'He was just acting. How could I have been so stupid!' _Shaking her head, she looked down at the ground and muttered something about excusing herself before all but running away from the crowd of people, away from Hotch.

Hotch's eyes furrowed together in confusion and he wondered where she was going. Suddenly it dawned on him, _'She thinks it was all an act'_ "Oh God, I have to uh, go. I'll grab Em-er, Prentiss and we'll see you back at the hotel later" he said quickly as he hurriedly followed Emily.

He found her leaning against one of the SUV's that was parked way at the end of the lot. As he neared her, he could see tears glistening on her face as she hugged herself in the wool blanket JJ gave her.

"Emily?" he approached slowly.

Emily hurried to wipe the tears from her eyes as she shifted her body awkwardly, she didn't want him to see her like this, not now. "I'm fine. Just… go away Hotch".

"Emily, about what Morgan said…" he began as he got closer.

"There's nothing to talk about. We were just playing our roles, it doesn't mean anything" she lied.

Hotch now stood in front of her and reached down to take her hands in his. She tried to pull away but he wouldn't let her go; not now, not ever. "It meant something to me" he said blankly as Emily looked up.

"It wasn't just an act. Everything that happened in there" he said gesturing to the ballroom they had come out of, "that was all real" he said sternly.

Emily tried to turn away, "Hotch, you don't have to say that. Just because I…. never mind".

"Just because you what…" he urged her, he needed to hear her say it.

Emily met his dark, brown eyes and instantly felt herself surrender to him, "Just because I'm in love with you Hotch. There. I said it. I, Emily Prentiss, an FBI agent, summa cum laude Yale graduate… has fallen undeniably, in love with her boss" she finished softly.

Hotch felt his heart flip and suddenly felt like a teenage boy finding out his crush likes him back. "Emily I-"

"Please just go Hotch. Don't you think I've embarrassed myself enough for the night" she said as she began to walk away.

"God Emily would you just let me finish!" he shouted. "I. LOVE. YOU!" That got Emily's attention as she froze, as she slowly willed herself to turn around, he continued. "I think I have been for a while, and I know I will be for the rest of my life. So would you please just listen to me!" he pleaded.

He walked up to her and gently cupped her face with his hand, softly wiping away the tears that were streaming down her face. "Tonight was anything but an act" he continued softly. "In fact I used it as an excuse to finally be able to look at you, hold you, touch you how I've longed to do for months now. I just wanted to know what it would feel like to be able to call you mine, even if it was just for the night. And know that I know, I'm never letting you go" he said.

Emily felt like she needed to pinch herself just to make sure this was all real. "Do you mean that?" she asked vulnerably.

Hotch wrapped his arms around her waist, "I've never meant anything more in my life. I love you Emily" he whispered.

Emily draped her arms around Hotch's neck and leaned in just breaths away from his lips, "Good. Because I don't ever want you to let me go". With that his lips came crashing down on hers and she could have sworn someone was lighting fireworks behind them. Their tongues battled for dominance and Emily leaned back, deepening their kiss. They kissed under the moon for what felt like hours before they both needed air.

"You're so beautiful" Hotch whispered.

Emily blushed and pecked a soft kiss on his lips, "I've never been happier than I am in this moment" she said honestly.

Hotch smiled, revealing his dimples, "Well if you'll let me, I plan to make you happy for the rest of my life"

"Hmm.. I know a way you can make me even happier right now" Emily said coyly as she grabbed his hand and began leading him back to the SUV.

"Oh? And what would that be?" Hotch asked as he opened the car door for Emily.

Emily smiled, "It's a Halloween Hotch, all anybody wants is candy" she said with a wink before climbing into the passenger seat.

Hotch laughed as he closed the door and made his way over the drivers seat. As far as Halloweens went, this one was definitely, by far his favorite.

**A/N**: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STAYING WITH ME ON THIS ONE! I really appreciate all your kind words. Stay tuned for a brand new story! Xxo B.


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